


Life Day Hymn

by Vilya_Mariposa



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Complete, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27443860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vilya_Mariposa/pseuds/Vilya_Mariposa
Summary: Leia is injured and has a vision of a future she can still change.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Life Day Hymn

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies to Mr. Dickens

“How do I look?” Leia asked her son, “Are the braids straight?”

Ben looked up from his studies, “They’re straight, and you look pretty.” He paused then commented, “I haven’t seen a lot of women without their heads covered.”

Drefan, her assistant waved off Ben’s concern, “It’s fine Princess.”

Leia looked at Ben, “Maybe you should come with us.” Ben’s face brightened.

Drefan quickly said, “He has studies and this function had to be very precisely negotiated. This event would bore him.”

Ben frowned at being talked about in the third person, and even Leia looked perturbed for a moment. “Will you be okay here with just Threepio?” she asked Ben.

“He’ll be fine, Princess, we need to go.” Ben barely had time to wave to Leia before Drefan bustled her out of the room, leaving a sad Ben behind.

*

A couple hours later found Leia hastily fashioning a scarf on her head, fussing at her assistant, “My seven-year-old noticed the local custom, why didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t important enough to be in the dossier.”

Leia paused, “I’m also picking up on some ill will to the local royal family. Is that for all royals, or just this group?”

“There is no anti-royal sentiment.” Drefan said confidently.

*

The next thing Leia was aware of was standing in a hospital room, looking at herself floating in bacta. “Kriff.”

“Bomb.”

She whirled to see the speaker, a woman wearing a traditional Alderaani widow’s twist in her hair, a woman who was clearly old before her time. Life had clearly not been kind to this woman. Standing next to her was Anakin Skywalker, in mid sigh. They were ethereal figures and Leia asked, “So I was right about the anti-royalist sentiment?”

“They actually weren’t going to blow up the event, then you showed up with uncovered hair, it offended them.”

“So Ben was right.”

The woman snorted, “About hair, yes.”

Anakin indicated the woman, “This is Rey. You haven’t met her yet.”

Before Leia could say anything the surroundings changed. She recognized it as the Northern Palace, on Alderaan, decorated for the solstice celebration. She turned when she heard a familiar voice asking, “Can I play with your doll?”

Young Leia looked up from her book to the doll laying neglected on the top of a stack of books. She nodded and Young Winter picked up the doll and sat on the bed with Young Leia, back to back.

Rey had a look of longing at the girls playing on the bed, young Leia telling a story that Winter acted out with the numerous dolls she had collected. Leia wondered about Rey’s longing look but did not get a chance to ask about it as the scene changed to Tired New Mother Leia apologizing that her son was crying in the background, he did not feel good. Rey walked over and looked into the crib, “He’s not sick, he’s tormented, tormented by voices that scare him and at this age all he knows how to do is scream.” She shot Leia a look, “Not like you listened later.”

Both Anakin and Leia visibly bristled. Leia said in a frosty tone, “I have done my best.”

“By putting your work first?”

The scene shifted to Leia in deep conversation with a fellow senator while Ben hung around in the doorway, his little face on the verge of tears, clutching a blanket to him, chewing on the corner. Anakin said, “Looks bad enough, but listen.”

Leia frowned at him but then heard a deep shadowy voice, speaking to Ben, with her not ten meters away. _“She how you are nothing but a trophy, see how little she cares for your feelings?”_ Ben looked sadder and sadder as the voice went on and on. Finally Ben turned and walked away, sorrow evident in every step.

Leia felt her heart break as she watched her son walk away, “Oh Ben, what have I done?”

“I believe the question is what are you still doing?” Rey asked.

“Rey.” Obi-Wan Kenobi admonished. “Snoke is using the powers of the dark side, like manipulation.”

Leia had a horrifying thought, “He’s still doing it?” She turned as the scene shifted to the waiting room of the hospital.

The doctor entered the waiting room and Drefan walked up to him. Ben scampered over to listen to what the doctor had to say.

“Princess Leia has been stabilized and will spend the rest of the night in bacta, we anticipate releasing her by morning. She is having an atypical reaction to the treatment, did her mother have a difficult pregnancy?”

“The details of the Princess’s history are…”

“She’s a twin.” Ben said, feeling the ire of Drefan, but braving it for his mother.

The doctor smiled, “Thank you, young man, that is very helpful. We have a protocol for that.”

“We don’t want the Princess experimented on!” Drefan declared.

“Oh no, this is an efficient and well-known protocol in medical circles. We push the bacta to its warmer end and play a fetal heartbeat and the patient, like the Princess, will settle right down. Now if you will excuse me, I will go get that started.”

As soon as the doctor turned the corner Drefan grabbed Ben by the shoulder and turned him around, “Don’t you ever interrupt me again! Now go sit in that corner and stay there! And quit your sniveling, your tears shame your House.”

Ben returned to the corner, folded in on himself, burying his head on his knees and tried to focus on his breathing.

_“See how the man your mother hired, has great trust in, how he treats you. See how he punishes you for your strong feelings.”_

Leia felt tears run down her cheeks at her son alone in a corner, trying to not cry. Leia crouched down in front of him, “Oh, Ben.” Then a horrible realization sunk in, “What does he do?”

Anakin knelt in front of Leia, offered her his hand, “There’s no preparing for what we are about to show you. Take my hand, daughter.”

Leia hesitated but saw a glimpse from the past, a dying Anakin telling Luke that he was right about him and to tell his sister that he was right. Leia took Anakin’s hand.

The scenes flashed by but not so fast that she could not make out details. Ben growing up, filling out, training first under Luke, then later Snoke. Him killing people, his fall, his exploits with the Knights of Ren, his work with the First Order. 

Leia collapsed, crushing her head against her father’s chest, sobbing incoherently. Anakin patted her back and shushing her, “There’s more you have to see.”

“I can’t! I can’t, please don’t make me!”

“Unlike me, there was light in his darkness. Watch these glimmers of hope.” The scene shifted to a forest with a river cutting through it. A broken rope and log bridge dangled above them and two figures were moving through the river toward the shore. Leia gave Anakin side eye at her son and his torrent of Wookie swearing, Anakin only shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell us you couldn’t swim?” Kylo groused as he towed one of the Knights toward a nearby shore.

“I didn’t know your fat ass would collapse the bridge! Master.”

Kylo snarled but helped the man to shore. “Always assume rope bridges are fragile.”

The scene shifted to other times when he spared someone, let someone go.

Leia watched as Kylo tried to interrogate Rey and her pushback, and how that resistance startled him.

They watched as Kylo sat, listening intently as Rey described her experiences in the cavern.

“I never felt so alone.”  
“You’re not alone.”  
“Neither are you.”

Leia slumped against Anakin as she watched her son pour his life force into Rey to save her life. She let the fresh tears flow. 

“What can I do to change this?” The scene shifted to a wreck sticking out of water, a young man hearing his mother tell him with the last of her life force how much she loved him.

“Do nothing.”

Leia leapt to her feet and whirled to see her adult son, “What?” she asked shocked, the force ghosts with her sighing or shaking their heads. 

“Saving me will either condemn Rey to a life of hardship or potentially kill her. That I can’t…”

“Ben, please.” Rey said, her appearance changing to that of a younger version. She reached out and he took her hand. “Please. Now she knows, she can stand up to Snoke, she can save you.”

Ben and Rey studied each other for a long time, then he sighed and pulled her into an embrace, pressing soft kisses to her forehead and temple. He looked at Leia, “She’ll be born in about three years, she’s about five or six years old when she ends up on Jakku.” He sighed as Rey snuggled against him.

*

Leia woke up and muttered, “Ugh.” She said, feeling the bacta residue on her skin.

The doctor smiled at her kindly, “Good morning Princess, how do you feel?”

“Gross but alive. I want to see my son.”

Drefan was suddenly at her side, “He can wait. We need to know…” 

“The only thing I want is my son at my side. Have you contacted my husband?”

“We were waiting on news to tell him.”

Leia noticed the door was open and cupped her hands over her mouth and bellowed a Wookie cry out the door, hoping it would carry down the hall. Then spent a few seconds panting, the doctor gently admonishing her for exerting herself.

Ben came skidding into the room and Leia held out her arms in invitation and he quickly climbed up onto the bed with her, the doctor only moving to make sure her monitors did not get knocked out of alignment.

Leia cuddled her son to her then he lifted his head and looked at her. She knew this look, he was not just looking at her, he was looking through her. She caressed his face, knowing he was sensing something had changed. She smiled at him and he snuggled down against her again. 

“Let me take him back to the waiting room and let you get some rest.” Drefan volunteered.

Leia felt Ben tense up. “You can get your things and get out of our presence.”

“Princess?”

“You’re fired and if you lay a hand on my son ever again you will not like the consequences.” Leia was not unaware of Ben’s scrutiny.

“Princess…”

“OUT!” she bellowed, then panted, winded.

*

Leia looked up and smiled as Han entered the room, “oh sweetheart,” he started.

“I’m fine.”

Han placed a few rubs on Ben’s back, then asked, “Why didn’t anyone call me?”

Leia sighed, “Drefan wouldn’t let Ben and obviously didn’t do so himself.”

“I hate that guy.”

“Well celebrate, my love, I fired him.”

Han smiled, then sobered, “He’s still in the waiting room.”

“Probably waiting for a chance to grovel.” Leia stroked Ben’s hair, “But he won’t be given another chance, I was shown how he treated Ben.”

“Promise?” Ben’s tiny voice asked, meeting his mother’s gaze. It was very much like the look he had at Kef Bir from the vision when he realized his mother did love him.

“Promise.” Leia cradled her son to her, “I was given a vision of the future and was told what I needed to do to avoid it.” She sighed but Han stood at her side and gave her shoulder a squeeze, giving her the courage to continue, “I do love you Ben, and regardless of what that voice may be whispering in your ear…” Leia gave Ben space to sit up and look at her, startled at her knowledge, “And I will promise to do better to not neglect you or ever give you cause to think that I don’t love you…”

“We.”

“We love you, please don’t forget that.”

“Oh, mom.” Ben buried his face into her side and she stroked his hair as he sobbed.

“Ah hell, scoot over.” Han said and Leia scooted over, still holding the crying boy and Han climbed into the bed, sandwiching Ben between them.

A nurse poked his head in, then left again. Chewbacca was the next to poke his head in and ask why Drefan was being nice to him and was Ben okay?

“Ben will be fine soon, and just ignore Drefan. We will talk later.”

*

Epilogue – Jakku – eight years later

Leia was waiting for them to get underway on the _Mirrorbright_ when a feeling came over her. She had not felt anything like it since Bespin. “We need to make a stop on the way to Luke’s school.”

Jakku was an awful place and she could see why the Ben from her vision was so concerned for Rey, this was no place for a child, especially one as young as Rey. Leia wandered the stalls of Niima Outpost, following only a feeling. She kept her hood up, her guards a discreet distance behind her. 

Movement caught her eye and she leaned against a tent post and watched a Crolute berate a small human child. Leia realized this must be Rey. The Crolute stomped off and Rey picked up her bag, shoving a crude doll into it and then wandered off looking for someplace to shelter from the brewing sandstorm.

Leia walked after Rey and finally caught up with the girl. Rey was sheltering under a familiar ship, but Leia ignored that for the moment. “Hello there.”

Ten minutes later Leia was certain that this girl was a perfect match for her son, stubborn and willful. She was the will of the Force personified.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The Crolute stormed toward them, unaware of the danger posed by Leia’s guards.

Leia made a miniscule gesture for them to hold back, “How much for the ship? The girl didn’t seem to know.”

“You didn’t…” Rey began to ask.

“Ah, she’s useless, the ship’s not for sale.”

“Are you sure? About the ship? Everything has a price.” She patted Rey’s head, to comfort the child.

“Yes, I’m sure. Forty wupiupi and you can have the girl.”

Leia was shocked and Rey collapsed to the desert floor to cry and wail. Leia made another exaggerated look over her shoulder, to give her time to put steel back into her voice. “How about I take the girl in exchange for _not_ telling Han Solo that you have the _Millenium Falcon_?”

The Crolute laughed, then realized she was serious. He thought it over, looked at Rey then waved at her, “Ah take her, get out of my sight.”

Leia scooped Rey off the ground and carried the girl off in the direction of her ship. Rey was quietly sobbing about her parents. They hit the airlock and the ship took off. Leia finally got Rey’s attention, “Rey, listen to me. We will find your family, I swear it.”

Rey looked at Leia, really looked at her and Leia recognized it as the same look Ben got when listening to the Force about people or situations. “Promise?”

Leia freed one hand to hold up in a formal gesture, bracing the too small child against the wall and her body, “I swear as a member of the house of Organa I will find out what has happened to your family.”

“Where are you taking me?” Rey asked after Leia placed her on the ground and led her through the ship.

“I’m taking you to a school where you will be safe.” Leia nodded and C3PO scampered over to her.

“Oh Mistress we were so worried!”

“Threepio, this is Rey, we’re taking her to Luke’s school. Can you in the meantime, contact Chewbacca and let him know the _Falcon_ is on Jakku, near Niima Outpost.”


End file.
